OH Scrap!

I scrapbook. I have been for almost 3 years since my honeymoon. My sister-in-law got me into it and I think that is the biggest reason why I started it was to have something in common with her. I believe its helped us get closer. But the reason I've stuck with it is because I truly love it. I love taking pictures, journaling on pages, the embellishments, the die cutting tools. Just everything. I especially love the colorful paper. It sounds really funny when I say I'm addicted to paper. If you go into my linen closet, its not full of linens and blankets. Its where I store all of my paper and I have tons. I know its not really 'green' to keep buying paper but I try to make up for it by recycling.

My husband hates it. I spend lots of money getting the right paper, embellishments, pictures, and albums. I once spent over $15 on one layout. I've spent hundreds of dollars on die cutting tools and dies. I have Quickutz and the Cricut. Each one comes out with new fonts and shapes to add to your collection. Just Monday, I ordered a new font for my Quickutz for $20, not bad. But in months to come I'll be getting 3 new fonts which would equal out to be around $200!!! I'm addicted. I feel guilty about buying them because....

....I HAVE NO MOTIVATION TO SCRAPBOOK!!!!

Why am I still buying stuff for scrapbooking when I'm not even using the stuff that I have?!? Its so annoying when they come out with new stuff and everything looks so cute! Its like, I need this, I need that, one of those please, one of that! And it so doesn't help that the websites like scrapyland keeps coming up with sales. Agggghhh! I can't keep up! Love it, love it, need it, want it...hate it!

The worst feeling though that I have about this is that I have the best motivation for scrapbooking...MY SON! I should want to be scrapbooking every little thing but I'm not. Why? Because I can't put my baby down. I have enough time before work to do it, heck, I can do it during work. But all I want to do in before work is play with Corey and rest up for the long day ahead and when I'm working, I sit down and get ready to start but then I have scrapbook block, kinda like writer's block, I can never get any ideas out. I have mush for brains:(

Agh! Hopefully, that new font I ordered will give me the motivation I need to start getting my passion for scrapbooking back....or not. I'm so behind...oh scrap:(

Surgery Pics

I thought I would add pictures from before Corey's surgery, I thought he was too precious in his hospital gown. It broke my heart to see him go off to surgery, I'm so glad he didn't need anything more than for the doctor to look in his throat and nose and he has recovered fully!!

Celebrating lots of firsts this weekend!

Now that Corey is 14 weeks old (3 & 1/2 months), we have seen big changes and we are celebrating lots of firsts.

He is starting to grab things now, he grabbed a toy hanging from his carseat handle bar on Thursday going to my moms house. I heard a chrinkle sound coming from the back and it could only be made by squeezing the toy, yay!! We have a mirror attached to the back seat so we can see him in the rearview mirror while driving, when I looked back he was playing with his little bear, it was exciting to watch him.

On Friday, I took my mom to a doctor appointment and when we got back, we fed him rice cereal for the first time! I know his pediatrician said to wait after his 4 month check up but I think he's ready so we tried it. Adding 1 oz. of breast milk to about a teaspoon of rice cereal. It was really runny, not thick at all. Poor Corey kept getting mad at us for taking out the spoon so many times...he thought the spoon was something he should suck on. But he did love the rice so yesterday (Sat.) I made it thicker, he didn't care for it too much and only ate half of it. Today I didn't try it because I worked all day...we'll try again tomorrow at mom's house.

Tonight will be Corey's very first time he is sleeping in his own room in his crib! I'm so excited and happy for this milestone. What a big boy, I know he will do good. It took me a week to get myself pumped up for it. I knew I wanted to wait until after his surgery but his surgery was a week ago. I needed one last night with him in bed with us cuddling. And last night we did just that. I held onto him knowing it was the last time. I have to do this now or he will just want to stay in our room for forever.

Wow, lots of firsts! I hope we aren't overstimulating him but I think babies get smarter that way. Just keep them going and play, interact, and love babies as much as possible and they will be happy.

Tomorrow, we are going to a cookout at my moms. I'm a cohost and we invited all of the Garcia side. Hope everyone gets to come out for Memorial Day, we don't get to see each other all that much. Everyone has their own little families and work and school so it will be fun to relax and enjoy family. I'm also hoping it doesn't rain, we got Corey cute plaid shorts for tomorrow and I'm wearing a white dress. And I'm making JELLO SHOTS!!!

Surgeryx2

Corey had his surgery today, it went quite well. We had gotten up early and took him into surgery holding, he was so hungry. I couldn't hold him because he smelled me and wanted to eat. I had Chris hold him until he went to sleep, then I took him back and I didn't let him go until the nurse took him back for the surgery. We talked to the nurse, doctor, and anesthesiologist before the surgery assuring us that it was going to be really quick. They said it was only going to be 45 minutes at the most if he needed the nasal passage dilated and tubes in his ears.

We got down to surgery waiting room where they had monitors like you see at airports where you have patient numbers up on the board and it tells you when they started the procedure and end and when they go into recovery. My in laws were there with us and we talked about other things to get my mind off of everything. I never stopped looking at that monitor though and before I knew it, he was in recovery. It only lasted 20 minutes! I knew right then that he didn't need tubes. The doctor came down and talked to us. He confirmed that he does have lyrango/malacia. He didn't have to do the tubes and he also didn't have to dilate the nasal passage which is amazing.

As soon as the doctor was done talking to us, the staff let us know he was awake and that I could go up. It was good to see him but as soon as I saw him, I knew he was in pain and he was crying with great big sobs and tears. I couldn't get him to stop crying and he didn't want to take any sugar water or even nurse. I broke down and started bawling. It was so unnecessary to put him under for no reason but my own piece of mind. I felt so selfish and guilty. The nurse let Chris and his parents come up and see Corey but by the time they came up, he went to sleep fustrated that he couldn't eat because his throat hurt so much. His cries were so hoarse and mucussy. He was a trooper, though. I tried again to nurse him but he wouldn't take it so I warmed up a bottle I brought along with me and handed it and Corey over to Chris. He was still in pain but he worked through it and started downing the bottle. Thank God I brought it. I almost didn't because I just thought I'd be able to nurse.

Once we got him to eat, he was discharged and we went to go visit my mother....

There is no mention of my mother at his surgery for a big reason. She took the day off to be with him and us. And she really wanted to be there.

On Saturday, she started havin pains in her abdomin and she thought they'd go away with time so she ignored it and went on her way. Sunday, she picked up Corey and I and took us and Austin to the mall to get pictures taken for his 3 month milestone and get Austin a haircut. She picked up Corey and could barely keep her grip on him, he was too heavy for her. She was in so much pain and she thought she was having an appendicitis attack. I told her to get to the ER asap but she didn't think it was too bad and said she would go to the doctor after Corey's surgery the next day.

7:30pm comes around and I get a call from my step dad saying they were in the ER and to call my aunt to let her know what was going on. I asked if she was going to have surgery and they didn't know yet, they were waiting for the docs to determine that. I was getting Corey to eat really quick before I left to meet them but my mom called and told me to stay with him. I really wanted to be there with her but I knew she was right, Corey needed me. I called again every 30 minutes but still no difference. My step dad tells me he's taking Austin home to get some sleep and I leave to go to home and get him something to eat so I leave Corey with Chris and rush to the ER not wanting my mom to be by herself. She's sitting there trying to down a mediciny water that she has to take for a ct scan so they can see her insides better. My step dad gets there so I leave and the call me back at 12:30am letting me know that te ct scan came back fine. Nothing wrong with her ovaries, appendix, or gull bladder. So they weren't going to do any surgery and they were going to release her. Half an hour later, I get a call from my mother herself that they are doing surgery on her because she's still in pain everytime the dr puts pressure on her stomach, it still hurt her. I call my aunt and brother and let them know an hour after that we get a call again saying she got out of surgery and is doing better also they found the problem...a piece of fat coiled up in her bowels and was blocking it. I was relieved she was okay. Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep last night thinking about my mother and son and keeping everyone in the loop with info on mom.

I saw her after Corey's surgery and she seemed to be better. She is still in the hospital ready to be released. We will go visit her tomorrow since Corey is doing good.

Corey's eating like a champ and sleeping off the anesthesia.

Thank you, God, for taking care of Corey and Mom today.

I have a 3 month old !!!

I have been super busy and have not had time to do any updates for this blog for 10 days. Usually if we aren't busy at work, I can hurry and blog in between calls but its been super busy, I would blog before work but I like that time for just me and Corey, I like to give him my full attention so no myspace, facebook, or twitter. After work, I'm sooo tired, I just plop into bed and I'm asleep within 5 minutes if Corey isn't hungry. I like working at 2:30 but getting off at 11pm, way after my bedtime, is taking a toll on me. I'm hoping I can get used to the hours.

My title says it all! Corey is 3 months today. I can't believe he's that old already. I can't believe Chris and I have survived and we are striving as parents. Our little family is succeeding and I love that we are happy. I know anything could happen at any moment but its going pretty good so far.

Corey loves sucking on his fists and tries to find his thumb and fingers to put in his mouth. He likes to examine his hands and I'll open his fists up to put things in his hands but he doesn't know how to go for and grab objects yet, I'm working on that with him. He loves to talk a lot! He'll squeal and laugh and make gooo sounds. Its the coolest thing to have a baby-talk convo with him, he likes the interaction and I feel like he's getting smarter when I interact with him, hopefully that is true. He still does not like belly time but I found a way to put him on his belly to make it fun and so it doesn't hurt him too much. Also, he sleeps regularly through the night. So, we will be making the transistion to his crib soon.

I was looking at his closet/wardrobe last week and thinking, 'Where did all the pastels go?'. Wow, it used to be nothing but baby blues and whites now its dark red, dark blues, browns, blue jeans and bibs! He still has baby clothes, yes, but they are not newborn clothes anymore, thats crazy! Agh, I'm already saying 'Where has the time gone?' Thats not right, I should be enjoying the here and now...still, its hard to see that he is growing and not stopping for anything!

My mother is his favorite person...she is so good with him and he recognizes her just as he recognizes me and Chris. I picked her up one day to go to my Aunt's house to visit her and my cousins. She rode in the back with him. As soon as she got in the car, he smiled so big and all of a sudden he just started crying and crying. My aunt lives about a half an hour away and he cried all that time until my mom grabbed him when we got there. All he wanted was her to pick him up. Now the next day I was in the back while Chris was driving and he didn't cry once! He did it again the Friday before Mother's Day. We picked her up for lunch from work and went out to eat, he woke up right when we loaded him back into the carseat, he saw her and smiled and tears started rolling down his face, I couldn't see him but she said he had tears but I couldn't hear him crying. I knew that he was whimpering but it was a sad small whimper. He was really sad she couldn't pick him up again and when we got out of the car he stopped. We went inside her office to show him off and he wouldn't let anyone hold him but my mother, not even me! So he truly is a grandma's boy! I love that they have a great relationship like that.

My first Mother's Day was great! I celebrated the whole weekend and took my mom out to lunch on Friday. On Saturday, we went to get manicures & pedicures and did lunch again. It was a good girls day out for us but we missed Pooder. The next day Chris and Corey woke me up and wished me a Happy Mother's Day. Chris got up and went out and picked me up McDonald's and gave it to me for 'breakfast in bed'. He gave me my present which was a Wii Fit that I've been wanting, I've been using it and I have goal set, hopefully I keep using it and actually lose weight off of it. I need to lose 8 more pounds to get to my prepregnacy weight, the Wii Fit said if I lose anymore weight than that then I am underweight. Its not so much the weight, its toning I need to do.

Anyways, Corey and I went to my mom's house and gave her the presents we picked up for her which were flowers and a new Coach bag. I'm obsessed with coach so I thought it was time for her to start using a real bag instead of a wal-mart brand. I'm usually not stuck up when it comes to that but when it comes to bags, I have to have a Coach. I even made Chris buy me a Coach diaper bag before Corey came. I think its a good investment because wants he's done needing a diaper bag which will be a long time, I can use it with another kid and then eventually use it as an overnight bag for myself. So far, its been good to me.

My mom loved her bag and she started using it immediately:)

Today, Corey woke up at 6:30 and I was super tired after a long night working. So, I fed him and changed his diaper and layed down with him and listened to him talking and talking. I fell asleep listening to him and woke up at 8:30 and he was actually sleeping! He talked himself to sleep, it was the cutest thing. He stayed asleep until 9am which is amazing...he's such a good kid.

We went to a diagnostics doctor to screen his ears yesterday to see if he needed tubes in his ears. She was very optomistic that both ears are workin normally and that he doesn't need them but she had to send the tests to Corey's Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor so he'll determine that.

In March, we went to his pediatrician wondering why his breathing was irregular. Everytime he ate, he would have lots of weezing and it seemed like he couldn't catch his breath. I thought it was normal but my mom came over one day and heard him she immediately had me call his doctor which then had me set up an appointment for Corey to come in. Chris didn't think it was necessary but when it comes to Corey's health, I listen to my mom more. Remember, in one of my blogs I said my mom makes me call the doctor for even a sore throat? Well, we thought it was going to be one of those things but the doctor actually looked concerned and he refered us to an ENT dr. (ear, nose, throat) Well, the doctor heard him breathing and I told him somethimes he even forgets to breathe and actually will stop. Well the ENT dr recommended surgery. He thinks Corey has Laryngo/Malacia which is a medical term for a small nasal passage. Air isn't getting to his nose like it normally should. Its common in babies but it usually goes away or they grow out of it. Well, he recommends surgery to see if in fact he does need a bigger nasal passage. If he doesn't no harm done and he'll just be out for a few minutes but if he does the dr will dilate the passage way and make it bigger with steroids. He had also found fluid in his ears and he recommended a test (the test we did yesterday) the week before the surgery to see if the fluid was still there. If there were, he'd put tubes in them the same time he goes in for his nasal surgery. Well, since the test came back normal for both ears yesterday, hopefully he'll need just that one procedure! I was skipping out of the hospital yesterday, showing Corey shiny balloons in the halls and singing loudly to him on the way to the car.

Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't need anymore surgery than needed. His surgery is on Monday the 18th. Can't believe its here already, we've been stressed about it for awhile now...

Right now I'm up stairs and I can hear Chris and Corey downstairs. It is so amazing how he laughs and talks and its great to hear them interracting. It makes me want to go down and hang out with them. 2 more hours left;0)

loving life...

We had a great weekend. It started out Friday night when I got my new schedule for this week. Monday & Wednesday thru Friday 3pm-11pm and Tuesday will be a 10 hour day. I'm excited that I get to start at 3pm, I'll have more time with my baby Corey!

I woke up really early at 5:30am on Saturday and did some scrapbooking. I got a good start on a book I'm doing for Corey. When I was in the hospital I made everyone who visited write a message to Corey on a 3x5 index card. I got pretty much everyone and whoever wrote a message to him, I got their picture holding Corey. I don't know where I got the idea from but its going to be amazing, if I have anymore kids, I hope to do the same for them.

I went to aunt's house to see her and my cousins. My mom came with us. It was a relaxing Saturday afternoon. My cousin who is 10 months old is crawling and talking, she is so adorable. Heres a picture...

She's going to be a handful when she grows up, you can just tell! She's my beautiful baby cousin, I can't wait to watch her grow up with Corey and their other little cousins. My mom gave Corey a bath while we were there and fed Corey some of Mariana's baby food. We didn't give him too much but here is a picture...
He ate just a little taste of it...oh man, I can't wait to feed him when he gets old enough:)

When we got home, Chris suprised me with a new Wii. I'm so excited to use it, there are a lot of fitness games I've been wanting to try! Also, I had some dresses I saved online at forever21.com which is my favorite store but we don't have one around here. Chris bought them for me, I can't wait to get them in the mail. Hopefully they fit!

Today, we woke up super early and got cleaned up for the day, we were out of the door by 11am to go to the mall. We spoiled ourselves and got lots of clothes from American Eagle, Hollister, Aeropostale, and of course Children's Place. We got Corey some bibs from there and some more cargo pants. I got new flipflops, jeans, sunglasses and a new sd card for my camera. 4GBs and it holds 1,000 pictures! I'm excited! Chris got shirts and some jeans. We went to Wal-mart as well. When we got home we took Corey for a walk around town and to Dairy Queen down the road.

It was a great day. I can't wait until next weekend. My mom and I have an appointment to get a spa manicure/pedicure and I have a graduation party to go to Saturday night. My friend Carrie is Graduating from Eureka College! I'm so proud of her. Also it is Mother's Day...my first year celebrating it as a mom...super excited! And I will leave you with a picture of me and Corey chilling after a good day last week...